>Posted-Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 16:08:18 -0600 (CST)
>X-Mailer: ccMail Link to SMTP R8.00.00
>Date: Thu, 29 Oct 98 14:00:56 -0800
>From: "Jim Fruchterman"<jim@arkenstone.org>
>To: <GUISPEAK@LISTSERV.NODAK.EDU>, <BLIND-L@UAFSYSB.UARK.EDU>,
> <scantalk@linkline.com>, <dealer@lists.arkenstone.org>,
> <users@lists.arkenstone.org>
>Subject: Arkenstone's appointment to a key federal advisory committee
>Sender: scantalk-owner@linkline.com
>Reply-To: scantalk@linkline.com
>
>
> I am pleased to let you all know that I've been appointed to a federal
> advisory committee that should make a big impact on the accessibility
> of technology to people with disabilities.
>
> The committee is called the Electronic and Information Technology
> Access Advisory Committee. Its job is to recommend regulations and
> standards for the federal government to follow in its acquisition of
> technology. This area of the law is called Section 508.
>
> Many of you know that 508 was a law that had great potential, since
> the federal government has a powerful force on manufacturers who want
> to get federal business. In the past, 508 was basically ignored,
> because there was no mechanism to force government agencies to abide
> by it. It should be pointed out that the state of Massachusetts had
> a major impact on Microsoft's accessibility efforts using something
> like 508 a few years back.
>
> 508 has recently been changed, and the potential looks more real. In
> two years, individuals will be able to sue to force federal agencies
> to abide by 508.
>
> So why am I telling you this? As a representative of the disability
> community, I have an obligation to represent the interests of my
> community. This means I need to seek out feedback on these issues.
> The areas I am especially interested in are:
>
> 1. Members of the public accessing information or technology (web
> pages, kiosks, phone systems, anything) from the federal government.
>
> 2. Federal employees with disabilities interacting with electronic
> or information technology systems and/or information in connection
> with their employment.
>
> Individuals can sign on to read the main listserv of the committee,
> which is managed by the TRACE center at the U. of Wisconsin. There is
> additional information at:
> http://www.access-board.gov/notices/eitaac.htm
>
> Thanks for any feedback. I apologize for cross-posting.
>
> Jim Fruchterman jim@arkenstone.org
> President Arkenstone, Inc.
> NASA Ames Moffett Complex, Bldg 23 1-800-444-4443
> P.O. Box 215 1-650-603-8880
> Moffett Field, CA 94035-0215 USA Fax: 1-650-603-8887
> http://www.arkenstone.org TDD: 1-800-833-2753
> Arkenstone is a nonprofit organization with the motto:
> "Information Access for Everyone!"
>
>
>
>
>
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